Guarn and Axora sit at a table across from a Gold Dragonborn who is currently shackled and sipping from a cup. The Dragonborn winces as he tastes the liquid, looking back at the pair of paladins with disdain.
"I said I wanted cashew milk with my tea," he says. "This is clearly almond milk. You think just because they're both nut milks that there's no difference, but there is."
Guarn leans forward, puts his hands on the table gently, and pushes himself up to standing. He turns to one of the two Holy Order Guards in the room with them.
"See what you can do for Mr. Goldhands."
The Guard nods and walks out of the small interrogation room.
"Now, for the love of Helm, can we get back to the story?" Axora asks, clearly frustrated at this point. "So you planned to get us to the sea cavern with the cultists and the Leviathan specifically. Why?"
"So you would have been asking around about the cult and then witnessed the summoning instead of those Heroes of Stone. The cultists would all die, and hopefully at least one of you. The Leviathan would lay waste to the harbor, but my men in the local Guard would have laid waste to it with the cannons," he puts down the tea and pushes it away from him so it is on the edge of the table. "The Holy Order would have been blamed for escalating the situation, my men would be applauded for finally ending it, and with people needing loans to rebuild, I would have my hand in more of the profits coming in and out."
"And then you would turn around and give half those new earnings to the Shadow Lord?" Guarn asks as he walks across the room, standing at a barred window overlooking the city. "That is why he met with you and struck this deal?"
"Yes. I was surprised too when his messenger met with me," Barbridge says. "But he would provide the means and I was just to enact the plan. I was even promised access to The Secret City. When I mentioned that you all were moving in on my territory, he said he would take care of it too. But I felt that if I didn't take this deal I was seriously in danger."
Barbridge goes to put his hands to his head, but they are stopped abruptly by the taut chain binding him.
"Why would the Shadow Lord be concerned about money?" Axora says to herself, while writing. She turns to look at Guarn. "To do all this for a steady paycheck seems... I don't know... Odd. Keeping people in debt like that was never his M.O. This has very little to do with the things he's generally concerned about, like Adventurers and agents from other Planes..."
"And you would turn on the Shadow Lord as an undercover agent for us?" Guarn asks Barbridge. "You would risk your well-being to attempt to give the Eastern Kingdoms back to its people?"
"Absolutely. Anything for the people of the Eastern Kingdoms," Barbridge says with an air of patriotism. "And also to be clear I would be able to maintain my status and keep all my assets?"
"Yes, yes..." Guarn says tiredly as the Guard returns with a new cup of tea. "Axora, let's talk privately for a moment."
Axora gets up and follows Guarn out of the room. The Guards both watch them leave, and the one that brought in the tea turns back to Barbridge.
"Is the milk to your liking, sir?"
"Yes yes, thank you," he responds as he sips.
"You know, I really admire what you're doing here. Not many people would help to bring down the Shadow Lord these days," the Guard says while leaning on the table slightly.
"Yes, well... What can I say? Barbridge Goldhands is as selfless as they get," he says as his shackles suddenly break.
His eyes widen in surprise, unsure of what just happened. Without warning, the second guard by the door rushes forward behind the other guard, and buries a clawed arm into their back, going all the way through their body, spraying blood all over the Dragonborn.
Their clawed hand grabs the now free hand of Barbridge and pulls it back through the first Guard who is now going into shock as an odd game of tug-of-war just happened through the spot where their heart used to be.
"W-why?!" Barbridge exclaims, trying to pull his hand back through. "I'm doing what your Order asked!"
The Guard circles around the table and puts a small dagger against a gland in the side of the Dragonborn's neck.
"I told you when we struck the deal," the guard says, putting more pressure on the dagger. "There's always a contingency plan."
Barbridge's eyes widen.
"You're the Messenger—" and his voice suddenly stops as the Guard pushes the dagger into the gland, and fire starts shooting out of his mouth, burning the dead guard's body to a crisp.
The Messenger forces the dagger across the throat and lets both bodies drop. They then focus for a second and their body changes its appearance to an entirely different person. They mutter the word Wardrobe and their clothes change from that of a Holy Order guard into one of the staff uniforms. They take a deep breath before opening the door and running down the hallway screaming for help.